PBS TV, USA nationwide: "How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin", airs Nov 9th!
NCF News Groups
Rocked the Kremlin"
"I hope all's well with you and Ottawa Beatles chums. This is a reminder
that HOW THE BEATLES ROCKED THE KREMLIN will be broadcast on the PBS Network
on November 9th - the 20th anniversary of the downing of the Berlin Wall."
This documentary will broadcast nationwide on November 9th on the PBS
Network. Please consult your TV listings for local broadcast time.
who?
wrote:
Is this something we've never seen in the states?
Jeff
Bernie Woodham
>
> Is this something we've never seen in the states?
>
> Jeff
Beth K
Thanks, Bernie. Interesting story.
Jeff
Jim Beam
wrote:
10:00pm EST.
Hope I can stay awake, getting old.
LookingGlass
wrote:
>
A *stunning* documentary. The best I've seen in a long time...Beatle
related.
As important to us in the western hemisphere, The Beatles were far
more important to the kids in the USSR...The Beatles were *illegal*.
Their fans REALLY loved them.
I love the fact that a legendary *secret* concert is rumored to have
taken place as The Beatles flew to Japan...they stopped in the USSR to
play...secretly. WOW!
Bootleg records created from old X-ray cels. Wow.
See it!
Art Harris
>
> I love the fact that a legendary *secret* concert is rumored to have
> taken place as The Beatles flew to Japan...they stopped in the USSR to
> play...secretly. WOW!
>
I seriously doubt that. How would they have gotten through customs? In
those days, Englishmen didn't didn't just fly to the USSR on a whim.
The documentary was pretty good.
Art Harris
LookingGlass
>
> LookingGlass wrote:
>
> > I love the fact that a legendary *secret* concert is rumored to have
> > taken place as The Beatles flew to Japan...they stopped in the USSR to
> > play...secretly. WOW!
>
> I seriously doubt that. How would they have gotten through customs? In
> those days, Englishmen didn't didn't just fly to the USSR on a whim.
I don't believe that it took place...I like the fact that there is a
legend in the USSR (Russia) about a "secret" Beatle concert. Adds to
the *mystery*...!!!
Chris Hoelscher
had such an underground following and such an impact on a generation
"officially" not supposed to be aware they existed. I specially enjoyed the
anti-Beatles film that the state produced, and the mood of the people when
Paul actual had his concert(s) there- it was as if Zeus had come down from
Mount Olympus!
One question though - throughout the show - i heard background music that
sounded like it could have been the Beatles, but not official releases -
were these audio bytes actual Beatles recordings (radio broadcast, bootleg
demo tapes, etc) or was it just filler sound-a-like music recorded by 2009
musicians? (or even something else?)
thanks
chris hoelscher
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LookingGlass
wrote:
>
> I watched this documentary and was floored - i had no idea that the Beatles
> had such an underground following and such an impact on a generation
> "officially" not supposed to be aware they existed. I specially enjoyed the
> anti-Beatles film that the state produced, and the mood of the people when
> Paul actual had his concert(s) there- it was as if Zeus had come down from
> Mount Olympus!
>
> One question though - throughout the show - i heard background music that
> sounded like it could have been the Beatles, but not official releases -
> were these audio bytes actual Beatles recordings (radio broadcast, bootleg
> demo tapes, etc) or was it just filler sound-a-like music recorded by 2009
> musicians? (or even something else?)
>
> thanks
>
> chris hoelscher
I'm not sure about the soundtrack...I was glued to the revealing
documentary. I will have to listen closely next time I see it.
What is fascinating is that we here in the West were presented with
The Beatles, and we loved them. It is a testament to that *charisma*
that in the USSR they were forbiden, yet that charisma...and
moreimportantly, the MUSIC still reached into that country and grabbed
the kid's attention...with NO (official) PR. Really quite remarkable.
The Beatles managed to cause *change* in that rigid society too...at
arms length.
I can't get over the inventiveness they went to to make the music
available for listening, by cutting the recordings to old x-ray cels
from pirated tapes...that is determination. The whole history of The
Beatles in the USSR adds a BIG piece of the the puzzle that is The
Beatles and their impact on the 20th century.
As our Mr Carter likes to point out...NOTHING is Beatle-proof!
Stephen X. Carter
<goldenc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>As our Mr Carter likes to point out...NOTHING is Beatle-proof!
Not me, mate!
It's a quote from a movie, written by a scriptwriter. :-)
As for the thesis that The Beatles pulled down the Soviet Empire... I
still think that it's far fetched.
There's no doubt that they had a great deal of influence on Soviet youth
-- more than is/was generally realised - and that attitudes imported to
the Soviet Union via The Beatles, and I assume other bands!, helped.
But to assign a **MAJOR** role (which is what the documentary sets out
to do) does not fly (IMHO). Non-trivial... OK - but not major.
--
steve.hat.stephencarter.not.com.but.net
Nothing is Beatle Proof!!
Mr Kite posters and more at http://www.zazzle.com/mr_kite*
Mr Kite posters and more at http://www.zazzle.co.uk/mr_kite*
Skokiaan
wrote:
> I specially enjoyed the
> anti-Beatles film that the state produced,
The funny part about the anti-Beatle propaganda film is that
everything said in it is true!
This doc wasn't the first time the Beatles were credited with the fall
of the USSR. Try watching Paul's Red Square DVD. If you can sit
through all the fast editing without having a seizure you'll hear all
about how the Beatles allegedly brought down communism.
rags
news:2afb5793-857a-4960...@g1g2000vbr.googlegroups.com:
> On Nov 11, 10:25�am, "Chris Hoelscher"
> <chrishoelsc...@insightbb.com> wrote:
>> I specially enjoyed the
>> anti-Beatles film that the state produced,
>> --
>
> The funny part about the anti-Beatle propaganda film is that
> everything said in it is true!
>
> This doc wasn't the first time the Beatles were credited with the fall
> of the USSR. Try watching Paul's Red Square DVD. If you can sit
> through all the fast editing without having a seizure you'll hear all
> about how the Beatles allegedly brought down communism.
This claim goes on and on - truely the long and winding road. In 2004 we
discussed this in rmb, and I posted then "been there done that" and
pointed to the following url:
http://beatles.ncf.ca/guardian.html
which goes back to a 2000 tv documentary. And I cannot swear that's the
oldest reference.
Not that any of that disproves the claim, merely its novelty. (BTW: I
always had the impression that Paul picked the idea up from Pelyushonok's
documentary. No proof of that, of course. But I don't recall him
mentioning this before 2000.)
--
-= rags =-
<www.math.mcgill.ca/rags>
rags _at_ math _dot_ mcgill _dot_ ca
LookingGlass
>
> This doc wasn't the first time the Beatles were credited with the fall
> of the USSR. Try watching Paul's Red Square DVD. If you can sit
> through all the fast editing without having a seizure you'll hear all
> about how the Beatles allegedly brought down communism.
I don't believe The Beatles brought down the USSR...alone. But the
changes The Beatles brought to the younger generation did help to
undermine the solid society the USSR tried to uphold. I believe the
expense of the Cold War, and the upkeep of all those *defenses*
bankrupt the country.
But that is not quite as *romantic* as having The Beatles be the
source of the downfall. Legends are not born of economic insecurities.
"All you need is Love"
NCF News Groups
Leslie Woodhead makes the point known at the beginning of his documentary
that the Beatles played an important factor in the downfall of communism.
It was just one of many other factors or influences that made it happen, not
*major* but certainly one of the important ones. And in the same breath
here, Dr. Yury Pelyushonok makes the exact same claim -- check out his video
where you see "Main Feature" http://yuryspace.yolasite.com/
John Whelan
Ottawa Beatles Site
"Stephen X. Carter" <st...@giganews.com> wrote in message
news:4afb51a6...@news.iinet.net.au...
--
--
RichL
> On Nov 12, 6:55 am, Skokiaan <skoki...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> This doc wasn't the first time the Beatles were credited with the
>> fall of the USSR. Try watching Paul's Red Square DVD. If you can sit
>> through all the fast editing without having a seizure you'll hear all
>> about how the Beatles allegedly brought down communism.
>
>
>
>
> I don't believe The Beatles brought down the USSR...alone. But the
> changes The Beatles brought to the younger generation did help to
> undermine the solid society the USSR tried to uphold. I believe the
> expense of the Cold War, and the upkeep of all those *defenses*
> bankrupt the country.
>
> But that is not quite as *romantic* as having The Beatles be the
> source of the downfall. Legends are not born of economic insecurities.
>
> "All you need is Love"
The Beatles having brought down the wall may be a huge exaggeration, but
I think a rather solid case can be made for Western music having a huge
contribution.
I recall several reports out of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, etc.
back in those days that lend substantial credence to this.
The Soviet "satellites" had gradually let their guard down, permitting
Western acts to perform. There was one particular Queen concert in
Budapest in 1985 or so that brought the house down that I'm familiar
with, and I'm sure there were uncountable others.
The Iron Curtain had begun to crack, not only with the (sometimes
officially sanctioned) infiltration of Western music but also art and
literature. The genie had escaped from the bottle.
NCF News Groups
Reuters, June 17th, 1975...
"When the Beatles were still together, they were feared, like other pop
groups by the Soviet authorities, partly because they sprang from a
capitalist society, partly because of the hysteria they were known to cause
at concerts and partly because their music and way of life seemed to inspire
disrespect for tradition and authority.
"This did not stop Beatle music gushing into the Soviet Union through a
variety of inconspicuous inlets."
http://beatles.ncf.ca/beatles_influence_in_the_USSR_p1.html
From that point forward, not much more was reported in the media until
the 2000 TV documentary, "The Beatles Revolution" by ABC Television. Now,
when the production got under way, several months before this Yury
Pelyushonok's book "Strings for a Beatle Bass - The Beatles Generation in
the USSR" was already in the offices of Apple records. Yury had went to
England and dropped off a copy at Apple. It was read by Neil Aspinal. To
coincide with the release of "Beatles 1", ABC Television in New York began
commencing work on their documentary called "The Beatles Revolution." Both
Tony Copple and myself received e-mail notices simultaneously from ABC
Television requesting contact information regarding Yury Pelyushonok. They
wanted to interview him. It was during the interview process with the
director that Yury was curious to know how ABC Television found out about
his chapter from his book at the Ottawa Beatles Site. Yury questioned the
director. The director replied that it was Neil Aspinal who suggested to ABC
Television to contact the Ottawa Beatles Site regarding Yury Pelyushonok and
how to contact him. When we received the emails from ABC Television, we told
Yury who immediately sent off a copy of his book to them thus guarenteeing
himself an appearance in the show. My only main concern for Yury before he
went down was for him to speak slowly in clear English. I coached him a bit
on that point. If he is too emotionally charged by the Beatle bug, sometimes
Yury will talk fast with his thick burly Russian accent and the listener can
sometimes lose track of what he's trying to convey. But he did well in that
program and did well once again in "How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin."
MPL Communications requested copies of Yury's manuscript. Both Tony Copple
and myself first received the email request from Robby Montgomery. We gave
him Yury's phone number but Yury was out of town at the time which became a
bit of a frustrating situation for MPL Communications. But when Yury came
back home, Geoff Baker finally connected over the phone with Yury. He sent
out copies of his manuscript which were received on January 14, 2003,
according to FedEx records. Yury's book was used by Mark Haefeli as a
research tool for the "Paul McCartney In Red Square" concert/documentary. I
think the use of Paul's music and comments from Russian nationals makes for
a very interesting historical documentary! It's well done and Paul was
certainly in top form on the night he gave his concert performance. "Back in
the U.S.S.R. really meant something very special to the Russian nationals on
an emotional level that really can't be described in words. But you can
certainly feel the vibe from the audience as you watched it!
It is interesting to note that while Yury wrote a truthful book about what
went on behind the Iron Curtain and the Beatles influence, other Russian
nationals (that appear on "How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin") who lived
under the surpressed regime pretty well collaborate some of the elements
found in Yury Pelyushonok's book, i.e.. "ribs on bones" etc. And since
Yury's book was printed in a very small number, I doubt if many of the
Russian nationals have ever read his book. I don't think that the
documentary done by Leslie Woodhead can be anymore objective than that.
John Whelan
"rags" <rags_mail_@_fast_mail_._fm_._invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns9CC189154493Fli...@127.0.0.1...
> Skokiaan <skok...@aol.com> wrote in
> news:2afb5793-857a-4960...@g1g2000vbr.googlegroups.com:
>
>> On Nov 11, 10:25�am, "Chris Hoelscher"
--
--
rags
@theodyn.ncf.ca:
> The earliest news report that I can find covering the topic was done by
> Reuters, June 17th, 1975...
And the earliest report here in rmb(m) that I'm aware of is in fact John's
reports about Yuri's book etc. Thanks, John, for that very comprehensive
report on the various threads culminating in the recent tv documentary.
Tony Quinn
<northern_...@msn.com> writes
>
> Leslie Woodhead makes the point known at the beginning of his
>documentary that the Beatles played an important factor in the downfall
>of communism.
I assume that you mean *the* Leslie Woodhead (of Granada TV) and if so,
which documentary are you referring to exactly?
--
If one person has delusions, we call them psychotic. If, however, 1.5 billion
people have delusions we must apparently call them a religious group, and
respect their delusionary state.
Bernie Woodham
> In message <hdi2ds$3c...@theodyn.ncf.ca>, NCF News Groups
> <northern_reflect...@msn.com> writes
>
>
>
> > Leslie Woodhead makes the point known at the beginning of his
> >documentary that the Beatles played an important factor in the downfall
> >of communism.
>
> I assume that you mean *the* Leslie Woodhead (of Granada TV) and if so,
> which documentary are you referring to exactly?
Look at the title of the thread.
--
All follow-ups are directed to the newsgroup rec.music.beatles.moderated.
If your follow-up more properly belongs in the unmoderated newsgroup, please
change your headers appropriately. -- the moderators
--
Bernie Woodham
>
>
> I don't believe The Beatles brought down the USSR...alone. But the
> changes The Beatles brought to the younger generation did help to
> undermine the solid society the USSR tried to uphold.
I agree, but a lot of times myth replaces reality. I was just
watching this vid on YouTube, and it goes into how The Beatles took
down the USSR. I wonder how much the people of Europe believe this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAO-zSomKxQ&feature=related
LookingGlass
>
> On Nov 12, 2:47 pm, LookingGlass <goldencocke...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I don't believe The Beatles brought down the USSR...alone. But the
> > changes The Beatles brought to the younger generation did help to
> > undermine the solid society the USSR tried to uphold.
>
> I agree, but a lot of times myth replaces reality. I was just
> watching this vid on YouTube, and it goes into how The Beatles took
> down the USSR. I wonder how much the people of Europe believe this:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAO-zSomKxQ&feature=related
I am reminded by *this* video...with the Twiggy statement... WHY I
loved The Beatles...she states "If they can do it, why can't we?"
That was a major reason for my attraction to The Beatles. They were
yougsters from a middle-class background with some talent. They built
their careers from the bottom up. They inspired me...why not the
Russians too.
The Nice Mean Man
wrote:
Awesome show. The fans over there look like they still have the
spirit. I certainly hope they never find their way in here.
TNMM
John
>heard background music that sounded like it
>could have been the Beatles, but not official
>releases - were these audio bytes actual
>Beatles recordings (radio broadcast, bootleg
>demo tapes, etc) or was it just filler
>sound-a-like music recorded by 2009
>musicians? (or even something else?)
one of the cover bands seen in the documentary, I would guess.
RichL
>> One question though - throughout the show - i
>> heard background music that sounded like it
>> could have been the Beatles, but not official
>> releases - were these audio bytes actual
>> Beatles recordings (radio broadcast, bootleg
>> demo tapes, etc) or was it just filler
>> sound-a-like music recorded by 2009
>> musicians? (or even something else?)
> No, that was just sound-a-like music recorded by 2009 musicans,
> probably one of the cover bands seen in the documentary, I would
> guess.
I just watched it for the first time last night. My impression was that
the music was done by several of the cover bands shown.
Papa Tom
well. An even more avid Beatle fan friend of mine thought it was
trash.
Regarding the music, many of these biography shows use "stock"
background music to avoid paying the high fees charged to use Beatles
songs.
RichL
> I was very moved - almost brought to tears - by this documentary, as
> well. An even more avid Beatle fan friend of mine thought it was
> trash.
>
> Regarding the music, many of these biography shows use "stock"
> background music to avoid paying the high fees charged to use Beatles
> songs.
But the songs *were* Beatles songs, just not performed by the Beatles.
There are still royalties involved.
Papa Tom
There are still royalties involved. <<<<
Hmm. I guess I wasn't listening that carefully, as I don't remember
anything but generic 60's beat music in the background, as they
usually use in low-budget Beatles documentaries. Anyway, to use a
cover version of a Beatles song requires only a royalty to the
publisher. To use the original recording involves a payment to The
Beatles, which is probably quite a bit pricier than paying The
Groovin' Merseybeats or some other mock Beatle band.
One thing that just struck me is that you might be referring to
versions of Beatles songs played in those videos of Russian bands.
"Do You Want To Know A Secret" is one I seem to remember being played
in that documentary. Is THAT what you're talking about, or did you
mean the generic music played in the background while the narrator is
talking over footage of The Beatles?
RichL
>>>> But the songs *were* Beatles songs, just not performed by the
>>>> Beatles.
> There are still royalties involved. <<<<
>
> Hmm. I guess I wasn't listening that carefully, as I don't remember
> anything but generic 60's beat music in the background, as they
> usually use in low-budget Beatles documentaries. Anyway, to use a
> cover version of a Beatles song requires only a royalty to the
> publisher. To use the original recording involves a payment to The
> Beatles, which is probably quite a bit pricier than paying The
> Groovin' Merseybeats or some other mock Beatle band.
>
> One thing that just struck me is that you might be referring to
> versions of Beatles songs played in those videos of Russian bands.
> "Do You Want To Know A Secret" is one I seem to remember being played
> in that documentary. Is THAT what you're talking about, or did you
> mean the generic music played in the background while the narrator is
> talking over footage of The Beatles?
"Do You Want To Know A Secret" was one of them, I swear there were
others as well. But my recollection may be faulty. In any event, yes,
that's what I was referring to.